Fat Chance

Jenny McDade's heart-warming comedy about a wannabe Blue Peter presenter who joins a slimming group

It's the 1990s and the body positivity movement has a yet to be born. Graham Pitscottie dreams of one day becoming a presenter on Blue Peter. However, he is stuck replenishing the pick 'n' mix at Woolworths. By his own admission he is, 'a bit of a fatso', and because there are no fat Blue Peter presenters, he joins - at the insistence of his mother Soo - a slimming class run by Wendy Bottomley.
This heartwarming vintage sitcom is a joy to listen to. As Graham befriends his fellow slimmers, he learns that everyone has a story to tell. Wendy has not admitted to her husband Clive that she is running the class. Tina enlists his help as an escort, in a bid to make her errant husband jealous. And when bride-to-be Kelly is getting ready for her big day, the club rally round to give her a day she'll never forget - though she may want to...
Share the trials and tribulations of a group of unlikely friends, who have each other's backs through cheating exes, unsupportive husbands, uncertain weddings, Blue Peter aspirations and being accepted for who you are.
This full-fat, bittersweet comedy about a group of people fighting the flab stars Janine Duvitski (Waiting for God, One Foot in the Grave and Benidorm) and Michael Troughton (Minder, The New Statesman and Doctor Who).
Cast and credits
Written by Jenny Mc Dade
Produced by Sally Avens
Graham Pitscottie - Gareth Corke
Wendy Bottomley - Janine Duvitski
Clive Bottomley - Michael Troughton
Soo Pitscottie - Anne Reid
Tina Tattersall - Julia Deakin
Kelly Chambers - Tilly Gaunt
Lee Dubs - Harry Myers
Mrs Enright - Frances Jeater
First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 11 February - 11 March 1999
©2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd